PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan – Police authorities in this city have taken in custody a suspect allegedly involved in a shooting incident that wounded a forester of the local office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on Wednesday.
Senior Superintendent Ronnie Francis Cariaga, chief of the City Police Office (CPO), said Thursday that suspected gunman Florante Saycon and his son, whose name was not made available, are now in their custody for allegedly shooting forester Joselito Eyala, 33.
Eyala, who sustained two gunshot wounds on his back and neck, was allegedly fired at by Saycon when he confiscated the latter’s unregistered chainsaw they were using in illegally cutting down a first-growth tree that measures 50 centimeters in width near Barangay Bacungan shortly before sundown on Wednesday.
The victim was with other forest enforcers conducting patrol against illegal loggers near the Bacungan area when the incident happened, according to Cariaga.
“Eyala’s team was in the area because they were investigating alleged violation of the Chainsaw Act (R.A. 9175). When they were about to leave, the shooting incident happened,” he said.
The victim is confined at the Palawan Adventist Hospital.
Felizardo Cayatoc, provincial environment officer of the DENR, said Saycon fired at Eyala when they were leaving the area with the chainsaw. The other DENR team members run towards different directions to escape from the suspect.
The Saycons were arrested Thursday morning and brought to the Irawan Police Station for investigation and eventual filing of appropriate charges. (PNA)
